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Why Adrian Colbert was the 49ers’ most pleasant surprise in 2017

By Florito Maniego

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 12: Adrian Colbert #38 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a play against the New York Giants during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 12: Adrian Colbert #38 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a play against the New York Giants during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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From being a seventh-round draft pick to starting six games for the San Francisco 49ers, defensive back Adrian Colbert became one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 regular season.

Not many players drafted that late find much success, but Adrian Colbert seemed to have proven doubters wrong. The 49ers drafted the Miami (FL) product 229th overall, although that did not stop Colbert from making a huge impact on the field during his rookie season.

Based on his NFL.com draft profile, Colbert had problems with his tackling and coverage abilities coming out of college. Analysts also viewed Colbert as a special teams player at most, which he negated having started six games in 2017.

The expectations for Colbert were somewhat low heading into the season, considering that he was taken late in the draft. Colbert, however, capitalized on his opportunities and left the NFL stunned by his incredible speed and hard-hitting playing style.

Before earning the starting role for the 49ers, Colbert mostly played on special teams and as a backup. The rookie safety earned his chance to start after both Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmie Ward suffered season-ending arm injuries and landed on the injured reserve.

Colbert took advantage of the circumstance and successfully showcased his tackling and playmaking prowess. Among all the rookie safeties in 2017, the seventh-round draft pick was ranked fourth by Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 78.9.

The Texas native finished the season with 30 tackles, five passes defended and two forced fumbles. Along with these impressive numbers, Colbert received the Thomas Herrion Memorial Award as voted on by his own coaches.

https://twitter.com/AdrianColbert25/status/948253189249277952

While quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo gets most of the attention, Colbert’s impact is not to be overshadowed. Similar to Garoppolo’s 5-0 record as the starter, Colbert is also undefeated since taking over at the free safety position.

Colbert’s positive influence on the field and inside the locker room has received nothing but praise from his teammates. For instance, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner stated in an interview, “The whole defense started to gel a lot better, and especially stopping the run. We had a lot of injuries on the way, [but] we had a lot of young guys like [Adrian Colbert] stepping up and playing at a high level. It’s just exciting to go into the next year knowing that we got something going.”

With an entire offseason ahead to improve his skills, Colbert’s future is only looking brighter and more promising. After his superb performances throughout the 2017 season, it is difficult to see Colbert without a starting role next season.

Next: 49ers: Grading the 2017 NFL Draft class after one full year

Despite the odds stacked against him, Colbert exceeded many expectations and became one of the NFL’s feel-good stories. Considering he was only a rookie, who knows what he’ll be able to do come the 2018 season? We’ll just have to wait and see.